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To get you and your crew ready for Boomtown 2024 tickets on 11th October, we have a competition!
Well, wow... We're truly feeling the love after you shared your stories for our Valentine's day competition!
Not just incredible stories of how people met their soulmates but gorgeous stories of kindness from strangers, parental love, SO MANY festival proposals and glorious tales of people learning to love themselves!
The winner, with a resounding 379 likes and counting, are the adorable Laura and Billy who met at the festival two years ago and went off travelling the world together only 6 weeks later! A pair of Chapter 12 tickets with Camp orchid upgrades for you.
We also had to award another bonus prize for the crazy tale of Sarah Louise and how she met her cousin - you guys have got tickets to Chapter 12 as well!
If you need a pick me up this Wednesday we’ve pulled together just a few of the hundreds of tales for you to read through here…
Our winners Laura & Billy….
"THE BEST BOOMTOWN FAIRYTALE EVA! Myself Laura from Bristol and Billy Bywater from Rickmansworth met on Wednesday August 8th at boomtown chapter 10 on the dance floor of the CEO’s mansion party at Springs ....we went outside for a drink and ended up chatting for hours.....We met up again for adventures but the festival soon came to an end on the Monday and we had to say goodbye.....not thinking we would see each other again that same Monday Billy drove ALL the way to Bristol so we could be together with other again!
SIX WEEKS TO THE DAY WE MET .... we travelled around America for three months! Since we have returned we travel up and down the M4 to be together every weekend...we have since been back to Boomtown to celebrate our anniversary and even had a mention in the daily rag! Boomtown is so special to us and we plan to continue to come back every year to reminisce and make new memories ❤️"
Our bonus prize champions, Sarah Louise & her cousin and their crazy fateful meeting!
"Boomtown last year ended up being some of the most important few days of my life. Me and a group of mates camped in Lion’s Den. On the first day we arrived early and befriended another group camping on the opposite side. We spent the whole festival together and had a BLAAST. On the last day we were discussing meeting up over Christmas time and one of the guys mentioned how he’ll be on a skiing holiday with his uncle and aunt. He said his uncle was a pro, I laughed because I was told that my uncle (who I’d never met) was also obsessed with the slopes. We thought it was a funny coincidence his name was also Martin, the same as my uncle’s. Long story short, turns out he had the same surname. This guy was the son that my father’s brother had with a lady he’d met 26 years ago in a Sheffield student’s union bar.
I don’t think we stopped crying for a whole 24 hours. One year on and we’re the best of mates, I live in Cambridge, he lives in Falmouth, but he’s moving over here in the summer (oh and we have a skiing holiday booked in France ;) ). Thank you Boomtown for bringing family together in the most beautiful, incredible way. "
And just a few more lovely Boomtown testimonials from your amazing posts…
"Been to Boomtown with my better half for a few years now and we fell in love with the festival the moment we stepped foot onto the site, we loved it so much that during our third year we were about to watch Toots and the Maytals (one of our favourite acts) when I decided to pop the question and get on one knee..... She said yes and made the rest of that year's festival even more magical. To say Boomtown has a special place in our hearts would be an understatement" - Ben
"I found myself last year at Boomtown. I went sober and discovered a life without alcohol is much more loving ❤" - Sarah
"I met my best friend on the nets in the woods at the 3rd boomtown in 2011 when we were 13! No-one believed us when we said our names our Molly and Polly but it became a great gimmick 9 years of friendship later, look at us now!" - Polly
"I still manage to fall in love with soooo many people every boomtown! I spend the rest of the year in a depressive state. Your glorious districts, discos and dirty dancing beats win my heart every year and is the only time I can deal with more than 5 people in one go... much love to you boomtown, hold you near my heart forever." - Kirstie
"We conceived at Boomtown 2016 and now have a beautiful 2 and a half year old, full of boomtown magic!" - Jordan
Love is one of the most intense emotions that we experience ❤ Love can be found and defined in so many different ways and moments...I re-found the love for not only myself but others at Boomtown which I attended with my brother and sister because of our love for experiencing life and music.
"If music be the food of love, play on." - Lizzie
"I took my now-husband on our second date to Boomtown 2014. We had the best time together. On returning home we asked me to be his girlfriend. We now married and have enjoyed a few Boomtown festivals as our anniversary weekend. Love you Jon!" - Lucy
"I fell in love with my now 9-year-old son at Boomtown 2010. Both boom town and sonny have grown quite a lot! That year I was 12 weeks pregnant with my surprise baby and very sober. I had an early night every night and it was during those evenings I realised I was gonna be a mum and that I would do anything for my kids.....even staying in and watching fantastic Mr fox on a laptop in a tent whilst all my mates were raving. We had our tent right next door to the mystic swing so I listened to that a lot and fell in love with my baby. I have loads of memories of 2010 boomtown due to the enforced sobriety, which makes it even better now I'm an old lady :)" - Kate
"Our friendship really bloomed at boomtown. It allowed us to be silly and open with each other, we saw the good the bad and the ugly and I wouldn't change any part of it for the world." -Molly & Lindsay
"Chapter 10 “ The friendship cannot be stopped” The Chapter where it all began...This is a story about how two girls learned to love themselves and also one another...
Friday night at the heart of boomtown in Lion's Den I found Macey sat all by herself crying her eyes out. I kept an eye on her to see if her friends were about. About 15 minutes passed and no one acknowledged her so I decided to go over. After going over and introducing myself, she explained she had broken up with her boyfriend and had lost everyone. Boomtown is one of those places where everyone looks after each other and that’s exactly what I did, we spent the rest of the night and the weekend together dancing, talking and making amazing memories.
After spending one of the best weekends of my life with this girl, we met up many times after boomtown chapter 10, we also attended boomtown chapter 11 together and saw our favourite guy MIKE SKINNERRRRR. Recently I have been broken up with myself. Macey was the first person I turned to. We are both now ready for Boomtown Chapter 12 (a new beginning) Thanks to boomtown we have learnt to love ourselves and make a friendship that can survive any district we enter.
This Valentine’s Day is for all the guys and gals out there whether you are single or not to take a day to appreciate how sick you are !!! ♥" - Ashleigh
"Camped with the solo polo group at boomtown last year, one of the best decisions I ever made. Was really nervous about spending time with a group of strangers as I have social anxiety, but was made to feel so welcome and included. Made lots of friends but a select group of particularly good ones, we all chat in our group chat daily and despite living all across the country (and some abroad) have met up several times since. They are now some of my closest friends. Thanks boomtown and the polos for a huge confidence boost and new festival / rave buddies!" - Kate
"First time I went to Boomtown was in 2017, I was 18 y/o at the time. 2016/17 were some of the darkest places I had ever been to in my life - suicidal, manically depressed, suffering from what I now know is PTSD, and social isolation. That summer of 2017 was the slow beginning of growth and self-love, but Boomtown is where it flourished. My friend and I went to Boomtown together, but she was working the majority of the time so I went and did my own thing. I took my camera with me and set off into the carnival of madness. Meeting new incredible people, wandering around taking in all the mystical beauty Boomtown had to offer. For once, in at least 3 years, I felt at peace. Boomtown gave me a safe space to breathe again - for another chance at life. For that I will forever be in your debt. Thank you for showing me how beautiful life can be, thank you for showing me that life is worth fighting for" - Megan
"The boomtown made the impossible for us. Find the true love 1800km far from our home. Ju and I are French and met at boomtown fair. At French corner. Now we have lovely boy of 4 years and we hope to win with our love. I love you Julien Werner I love you boomtown fair" - Celine (from France!)
"Our best friend of 20 yrs Neil was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in early 2016 my partner asked him if there was anything he really wanted to do in the time he had left and he said he wanted to go to one last festival. I didn’t really know where to start so I contacted someone I had met through a fb group called Tom who ran a charity that helps people who are ill or carers get to live music events - I wasn’t expecting much but thought he maybe able to put me in touch with someone as time was getting on and a lot of festivals were selling out so I was worried we wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Tom was amazing he came down to Devon to meet with us all and Neil said he really wanted to go to boomtown - Tom got in touch with organisers and arranged for us to take Neil to boomtown. A few weeks before the festival neils health deteriorated considerably and he was admitted to our local hospice they told us we could maybe take him out for a couple of hours to the beach down the road but that would be it & not a 3.5 hr drive to a festival in Hampshire!! However, Neil was determined to get to boomtown and somehow convinced the Drs to let us take him. We arrived at boomtown around lunchtime on the Saturday and made camp in our van in the meadow. We took Neil down to the Lions Den and Oldtown for a few hours which he loved but then the pain set in and around 7pm we left to get him back to the hospice for 11pm. Whilst it was just a short time this was so special for us to spend this time with our friend meeting his dying wish & he made us promise him we would go back the next year for the whole festival - which we have every year since. Sadly Neil passed away at the beginning of the September but he was still wearing his wristband when he did. Anyway just wanted to share our love for our friend and how special this festival is to us and the kindness of Tom and everyone involved. We have met so many awesome people at the festival and make new friends there every year." - Vicki
"Proposed to my wife on whistlers green with a hairband and a photo of my great grandmother's ring. That was chapter 9. We came back to chapter 10 as husband and wife. Chapter 11 she sent me off on my own while she stayed at home with our newborn son. Best wife ever!" - Alex
"We met on the first day of Boomtown 2018, we were both volunteering for Oxfam and had our first shift together. We fell in love during the festival said I love you on the Sunday, then moved in together 3 months later. Thank you so much Boomtown, you are a beautiful, magical festival and we will always come back home to Boom every year!" - Ella & Alex
"Our first "holiday" together was Boomtown 2017. We'd known each other only a few months, and came back basically inseparable and planned to move in together at the end of the summer. We then got engaged at Boomtown 2018! Couldn't make it back last year, but we are planning on coming back this year for our honeymoon! It's not conventional, but it is just so us. Should make a nice change going in as punters, rather than volunteering through Oxfam." - Sam
"I met the love of my life at Boomtown 2016 ❤️ Neither of us remembers what it was that we bonded over (but that’s just boomtown init hahaha) but we woke up on the Saturday morning and we were connected. 3 years later and I’ve never been more grateful to say I met my forever human, skanking partner and best friend at such a magical place. We’ve both got the logo tattooed and have been every year since except last due to the fact we’ve been travelling the world for 10 months finding beautiful dnb everywhere that we go, doing what we do best and will be back this year. Thank you Boomtown for bringing us together" - Jenn
"It was my first ever boomtown experience and all my friends bailed on me. But I wanted to go so badly I bit the bullet and bought a ticket and went by myself. I found the solo polo group chat and it was the best experience of my life. I didn’t know it at the time but going by myself worked wonders for my confidence and meeting new people and having to the most fun I’ve ever had. Whatever stage and set I went to at least one person or a group of people would take me under their wing and help me feel part of the fun and I never once felt lonely the whole weekend I was there. Everyone is so friendly that I’ve decided I wanna do it all over again and meet a whole other bunch of people to make memories with!!" - Beth
"I was struggling with anxiety and depression & have been working hard on self-growth for the past few years - I decided to go to Boomtown completely alone as a challenge to myself. If I could do that then I could do anything. I had a batshit crazy time, made friends before I even got through the gates, and now any time I’m scared to do something I’m like.. bitch.. remember who you are. It was the first step to self-confidence and loving my own company. GO ALONE, trust me it’s life-changing." - Georgia
"We all fell in love with boomtown! Social anxiety and not being a fan of big crowds, I never thought I’d be able to get Tom to Boomtown. I had been once, and fell in love but he didn’t like festivals. But after the line up was released I wanted so desperately to be there, and get the chance to see so many names I had grown up listening to. That birthday, there were our tickets. He took himself so far out of his comfort zone just to make me happy and bought us both a ticket. Of course we had a ball and we’ve been back twice since! Demon Days was the first album he ever bought. So watching his face as the Gorillaz walked out on stage will forever be a highlight in my life. And to this day he says it was possibly the best day of his. He still thanks me for getting him to come and enjoy the most magical place on Earth!" - Nenagh
"Met my now husband by running the boomtown solo camp. He showed up and helped all the solos when we couldn't get in due to the ticket system going down. So he helped so many of my solopolos and I met him the day after. I instantly blown away by how amazingly selfless and willing to help. Now married and both now running the solo camp - we are 40 and 45. so Never give up on love!!!!!! Xx" - Pauline Bronte
" Me and my wonderful fiancé Jessica Blanchard, having a baby girl... Due 9 months after last year's boomtown... We are considering the middle name skylark. On a side note when we first met she showed me a picture of the opening ceremony in a previous year and I was stood in the photo!" - Toby
"I took my son to Boomtown for the first time last year. He was 2 at the time. The last time I'd been at Boomtown he was in my tummy, just a medium sized bump. Having been going to festivals for years as a non-parent, I was so nervous about how I would cope. But you know what? I loved it even more sharing it with my little dude. He embraced it and stole the hearts of other festival goers and staff at the venues inside Springs. He helped me and my family make so many happy memories. And even though I was back at our tents watching the closing fireworks on my own while he slept soundly in our tent, I wouldn't rather have been anywhere else on the site or the world for that matter. He had helped me to see that my new life is more exciting than it ever was before he was here. I get to experience the magic of everything as new again as I see it all through my son's eyes." -Reeb
"I got fake married by Mr Bliss, one of the best experiences of my life. Truly magical place! Meet forever friends and can’t wait to take my boyfriend this year!" - Alice
"I proposed to my now wife Tara Hackett. We're both super mad Jimmy Cliff fans and when I found out he was playing the lion's den I knew there would be no other place I could ask her. So I made a big ol' sign and went down to the middle and then near the end of the gig got my friends to wave it. It went out on the big screen and when I pointed it out to Tara her exact words were 'Tarà me?' I asked she said yes Jimmy Cliff gave us his blessing and we got mobbed by a zillion people and then floated on cloud 9 for the rest of the festival."- Tristan
"So many people hesitate from going to festivals due to mental health, I was in two minds last year whether to go or not as a result of anxiety. But as soon as I got into those gates my anxiety melted away, like a heavy blanket that had been lifted off. My first year of boomtown last year and it’s safe to say I will be returning because of how good it made me feel! No anxiety, no weird looks from people, no one judging how you dance, never witnessed any trouble or aggro, just pure craziness and fun! Exactly how a festival should make you feel - learn to love yourself a bit more, and the more happy memories will shortly follow x" - Laurel
